NEW YORK, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Even as it wages a nationwide strike, the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) has reneged on a ratified contract with its own staff, threatened a staff union leader and delayed holiday bonuses because its employees' union asserted its rights, the Newspaper Guild of New York said on Thursday.

The WGAE's anti-union behavior was outlined in a series of unfair labor practice charges filed today with the National Labor Relations Board by the New York Newspaper Guild, a local of the Communications Workers of America, which represents 19 staff employees of the Writers Guild.

At the heart of the dispute is the WGAE management's refusal to sign a contract that was ratified in October by its staff, who represent, organize and provide service and support to WGAE members, including those who are now out on strike.

WGAE leaders do not deny that a contract has been ratified and is in place, but now contend that they did not mean to propose all of the wage increases that were contained in the contract offer that was accepted by the staff, N.Y. Newspaper Guild President Bill O'Meara said.

"It's unbelievable that a union doesn't understand that it can't pick and choose the language it wants to live up to in a contract," O'Meara said. "The contract language clearly supports our position regarding money owed our members that management is now refusing to pay."

O'Meara said the dispute arose after the Writers Guild rewrote the previously ratified contract and insisted that the Newspaper Guild sign the revised version. "It's like a car salesman demanding that you sign a contract after he's changed all the numbers that you had agreed upon," he said.

The Newspaper Guild also charged WGAE Executive Director Mona Mangan with threatening to discipline the staff's union representative for insubordination when she took issue with Mangan over her handling of the dispute.

Another charge deals with the Writers Guild's attempt to exert financial pressure on TNG members by threatening to withdraw previously approved holiday bonuses unless the Newspaper Guild dropped its grievance over the wage increase owed, and signed the WGAE's revised contract. Under pressure, the WGAE eventually paid the bonuses later than originally promised.

The Newspaper Guild Sector of the CWA supports the striking writers in their dispute with television and movie producers, which is entering its ninth week. "Out of respect for our striking fellow union members we tried to work this out quietly, and we even offered to submit the dispute to arbitration," O'Meara said. "But the WGAE leadership's anti-labor stance against its own workers and its filing of a baseless charge against us two weeks ago, while we were still trying to resolve the issues, forced us to reluctantly take this public step to defend our members and their contract."

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Source: Newspaper Guild of New York

CONTACT: Bill O'Meara of Newspaper Guild of New York, +1-212-730-1546

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